Thursday, May 31, 2007

Can Dance Overcome Political Origins?

I've danced in pieces that smacked a lot of Mao (you know, the Cultural Revolution), and perhaps they're even the same versions that he had performed in the streets to distract onlookers from the torture happening just yards away. You can imagine that makes me feel pretty strange. Oddly, after I learn the choreography and make some jokes about being good barefoot peasant girls looking towards a bright future, everything feels fine. I work hard, enjoy the dance and somehow the audience is all right with it, too. (That, or they're not talking.)

Perhaps it's permissible to simply appreciate the dancing for what it is, despite its less than innocuous origins. I still have mixed feelings about it, but I feel more comfortable about it these days. I hope audiences will find dances like this enjoyable, when they're presented as just that -- dances.

About Dancing with Joy

My first love is classical ballet, but Chinese classical and ethnic dance is where my performing heart lies. The process of training my body for greater strength and flexibility is tough, but even more challenging is internalizing the unique nuances of multiple ethnic styles. I'm learning how to breathe and to move all over again, in completely new ways.

Through my studies, I realized how much more I need to learn about the myriad cultures in China. I'm fascinated by how communal identity manifests itself in dance and how dance embodies and influences culture.

Throughout all this, my love of and continued training in classical ballet underpins everything I do in dance.

You're invited to come along with me as I explore, sweat, ponder, and sweat some more!